A former prison officer at Armley has been jailed herself after smuggling cannabis for an inmate she had befriended.

Jade Hicks, 35, of Hemsworth near Pontefract, met the man when she worked at HMP Leeds.

Jade Hicks

He was later transferred to HMP Doncaster and after leaving her job at Armley, she began to visit him in prison where she sneaked in cannabis and Subutex, a prescription drug used to treat opiate addiction.

On 11 October 2018, she was visiting the prisoner at Marshgate in Doncaster and was seen on CCTV removing articles from her clothing and passing them to him. She was subsequently detained by the prison staff and later charged and remanded in custody.

Detective Inspector Steve Smith from Doncaster CID said: “We work very closely with the prisons in Doncaster to set a zero tolerance stance to any individual who chooses to convey prohibited items.

“These items are dangerous and we hope court cases like this send a strong message to anyone thinking about trying to get banned items into a prison. You will be caught and put before the courts.”